KC Says Gators Gotta Go

The city announced Friday they’re giving the owners of the alligator-like reptiles known as caimans until the end of the month to get rid of the animals, which have been kept in an inner city home for decades.

A 1995 settlement with the reptiles’ owner Pat Jacobs allowed her to keep the reptiles until 2020 as along as she continued to user her house in the 4900 block of Euclid as her primary residence.

Jacobs’ son, Mike, says Pat Jacob died several years ago and he’s been honoring the deal ever since, according to a lawyer.

The Jacobs says they’ve honored the deal and there have been no problems with the animals who remain in captivity. A letter to the city says “only a few are being kept there at this time”.

It’s believed at the peak, there may have been more than three dozen reptiles at the house.

The family says they tried and failed to re-locate the reptiles in the past. They’re asking the city to give them the remaining 5 years, until late 2020, to deal with the animals